Guest Contribution - Sir Alan Beith & Green Energy Levies

Dear Mr Beith

Thank you very much for your extensive letter on green energy issues, in response to my email concerning Lord Teverson's amendment to the Energy Bill.
You have provided a very extensive list of Liberal Democrat activity in relation to green issues and Liberal Democrat policy in general. Thank you. I could argue with some of the items on the list e.g. protection of the green belt  (where I note that you have failed to oppose changes to the rules which have made it easier to develop on green belt land, extend sites without consent, and to implement environmentally damaging changes of use), but that gets away from the key issue here of renewable energy.

Focussing on renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions, the facts are that, at your Party Conference in Glasgow the Lib Dems voted to support Nuclear Energy after Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said that not backing nuclear would be "reckless". Nick Clegg has gone on record to support fracking. You have consistently opposed wind turbines in our constituency, and thus the creation of skilled jobs which we badly need.

More recently you have supported the cutting of 'green levies' on energy bills . These funds are used primarily to pay for home insulation for those who do not have the means to pay for it themselves. The government was quick to announce a vote grabbing “cut in heating bills” at the expense of the poor, but have yet to announce any details of the replacement 'Warm Homes Discount'.

As I said in my original email, what is needed is a clear and consistent voice for renewable energy and for measures that will significantly reduce our energy use. This 'greenest government ever' of which you are a part, comes nowhere close. In fact, greed over fracking opportunities seems to be the key motivator at the moment. And in the meantime, opportunities for truly renewable energy and for proper home insulation are lost. A cynic would say that shoring up electoral fortunes are now more important than implementing  Liberal Democrat policies to support retrofit for home insulation. Retrofit could save households up to 25% of their energy bills - a lasting saving for them and real achievement for government.  In contrast what was voted for was a cheap headline of £50 off your bill - which was in fact £50 off the increase in your bill, enabling the energy companies to reduce their obligation for home insulation. Not a clear and consistent voice for renewable energy and reducing energy use at all.

Thanks again for your letter.